Coventry is to be the first ever city outside of the Nordic countries to host the prestigious Play the Game conference, which has been running for the last 11 years.

 

The conference, which will be staged June 15-19, is to be co-organised by Coventry University’s Centre for the International Business of Sport (CIBS).

 

Around 400 media professionals, academic researchers and sports practitioners are expected to gather in the Midlands to examine some of the pertinent issues facing world sport, such as good governance, anti-doping and encouraging participation in sport by everyone.

 

The conference will also address the legacy issues associated with London and Beijing’s hosting of the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

 

Play the Game will release speaker details in early 2009.

 

Previous speakers have included Richard Pound, then president of the World Anti-Doping Agency,  Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union; Gerhard Heiberg, chairman of the International Olympic Committee Marketing Commission, Shaka Hislop, former Premier League footballer and now chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Players Association and football commentator, Matthew Reeb, the general secretary for the Court of Arbitration for Sport and leading investigative sports journalists such as Andrew Jennings.

 

Coventry’s bid to host the Play the Game conference was chosen ahead of submissions from the Spanish city of Maspalomas in Gran Canaria and the German capital Berlin.

 

Play the Game opted for Coventry as a host city due to the commitment and enthusiasm of Professor Simon Chadwick and CIBS.

 

Jens Sejer Andersen, director of Copenhagen-based Play the Game, said: “We are impressed by the level of local enthusiasm for hosting Play the Game shown by Coventry, and CIBS will be an excellent partner to facilitate a continued development of the conference form and content.

 

"Celebrating Play the Game in the United Kingdom means reaching the most dynamic environment we know for sports media, sports research and sports business.

 

"Coventry is only one hour from London, the next host city for the Olympic Games, and the city’s long-standing commitment to international peace and reconciliation suits the profile of Play the Game perfectly."

 

Coventry University’s successful bid was aided by the support of the regional development agency Advantage West Midland and hosting the conference will give Coventry the chance to showcase itself to an international audience.

 

Chadwick said: “Being the first UK city to host such a prestigious international conference is indicative of the University’s international expertise in relation to sport management and business.

 

“It also demonstrates that Coventry is an increasingly appealing location, with important sporting connections.”

 

CIBS and Play the Game will continue to seek additional funding over the coming months, to ensure that the conference in Coventry is the most successful to date.

 

The exact programme content will be decided later this year by Play the Game’s Programme Committee, to which a number of international experts and Coventry locals will be appointed.

 

Themes currently under discussion include: "The legacy of the Beijing Olympics - What did we learn?" and "London 2012 - Can a mega-event boost the daily sports life?".